The White House launches a new initiative to better secure the computers that run critical infrastructure like power plants and water systems.

The Energy and Homeland Security departments will develop a model to help identify how secure the electric grid is from cyber threats. The initiative is called the Electric Sector Cybersecurity Risk Maturity Model Pilot.

DHS and DoE will also test that model with as many as a dozen utilities. The goal is better understanding their strengths and weaknesses. The agencies say data from maturity model tests will help inform investment planning, research and development, and enhance public-private partnership efforts to secure critical infrastructure.

This story is part of Federal News Radio’s daily Cybersecurity Update. For more cybersecurity news, click here.

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